Argumentative Essay On Silver Water

Silver Water by Amy Bloom strives to illustrate the inadequacies within the American health-care system as well as the negative impact they have on families. The girl who the novel is centered around, Rose, is the elder of two sisters. When her and Violet, her little sister, were girls they were extremely close, and violet had deep admiration for Rose. However, during their adolescence everything changed Rose lost touch with reality, and she lost all mental stability to the point that she required various medicines and hospitalization. In an effort to help Rose the family tried numerous family counseling sessions, but in spite of their efforts nothing seemed to work, and in the end Rose dies. One of the reasons, I will argue, for this …show more content…
To the point that they forget that the ID number or case file they’re looking at is much more than that behind those numbers there 's a real person, a patient that needs saving. In Silver Water the family therapist asked the cause of Rose’s inappropriate behavior to which Violet replied “... I don’t know maybe she’s trying to get you to stop talking about her in the third person…”( Bloom 2). This quote exemplifies the disconnect between physicians and patients, and that results in a subpar experience patients. Imagine an instance where people don 't acknowledge your existence and refer to you as one would an inanimate object, surely this would be an unpleasant experience. That feeling of inadequacy is exactly what Rose experiences in Dr. Walker’s office, and that leads to her acting out in an effort to be recognized and treated as a human being instead of an object. When Dr. Walker finally does recognize her humanity her behavior improves, for an insane …show more content…
In the story Rose’s parents have to stay home and watch her and care for her. This is extremely difficult for them, because that means taking off time from work and other responsibilities. In addition to that they lack the proper training and facilities to care for someone who is mentally ill. Rose’s father even elaborates on the burden this is “It’s very hard. We’re doing alright, I think… We’re not doing all that well, actually, but I guess we’re getting by”(Bloom 3). Rose’s father is talking to Violet and telling her how they’re handing Rose’s temporary discharge from the mental institution, because of their insurance coverage issue. In an effort to help her parents Violet comes home to visit and care for her older sister. So, now no one in the family is free to live their lives because of their constant obligation to care for Rose’s with her